Patna: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has pledged to restart Bihar’s defunct sugar mills and ensure that every grain produced by the state’s farmers is purchased at the minimum support price. Speaking at a government event in Patna’s Bapu Auditorium on Sunday, Shah laid the foundation stone for a series of central and state projects worth crores, while Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed gratitude for the initiatives.
In a speech heavy with political undertones, Shah took aim at the opposition, particularly RJD chief Lalu Prasad, accusing his tenure of misgovernance. “The government between 1990 and 2005 will always be remembered as ‘Jungle Raj’,” he said, in a reference to the RJD’s rule. He urged voters to re-elect the NDA in Bihar in 2025, asserting that a government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar would accelerate the state’s development.
Deputy Chief Ministers Vijay Kumar Sinha and Samrat Chaudhary, along with ministers Vijay Chaudhary, Renu Devi, and Jeevesh Kumar, were present at the event. Shah underscored the Centre’s welfare efforts, citing the distribution of free gas cylinders, housing, and five-kilogram foodgrain rations to 81 crore people. He credited Modi for strengthening cooperatives, a sector he argued had been neglected for 75 years.
Sharpening his attack on Lalu Prasad, Shah blamed his government for the collapse of Bihar’s sugar industry, alleging that the state’s share in national sugar production had plummeted from 30% to just 6% under RJD rule. “Hundreds of sugar mills were shut, and foodgrain production fell. If the NDA returns to power in 2025, we will restart all these mills,” he vowed.
The Home Minister also accused Lalu of tarnishing Bihar’s reputation with the fodder scam, contrasting it with Nitish Kumar’s tenure, during which he claimed roads, electricity, and tap water had reached villages. Shah said that Bihar had received Rs 9 lakh crore from the Modi government over the past decade, compared with Rs 2.8 lakh crore during Lalu’s tenure as a UPA minister.
Framing the upcoming election as a choice between progress and regression, Shah urged the people of Bihar to ensure an NDA victory in 2025. “Whenever Lalu’s government came to power, Bihar declined. Whenever NDA governed, Bihar progressed,” he said, predicting a “massive majority” for the alliance in the next polls.
